[December 8, 2007]     Horsepower Company has seen a tremendous amount of growth this past year. With the addition of new team players, quality racehorses and broodmares. I am proud to say we are headed in the right direction!

 

Having outgrown our home farm, we were forced to add another location to our repertoire'. Our Canfield location offers 3 rail fences paddocks, Indoor and Outdoor arenas, hundreds of acres of grassy gallops and trails, indoor wash rack an 23 stalls under one roof. This facility is primarily a show horse barn, but has proven ideal for our application. The care is top notch and our horses are not only healthy but happy! Catering to our nutrition program and training routine have been an easy adjustment for this equestrian center.

 

With the addition of full time rider Tawny Williamson, whose skills are paramount to our fitness and rehabilitation program. We are not only able to get horses fairly fit before they head back to the track, but are able to work on an exercise rehab. program to promote a speedy return to the track. Tawny has done a wonderful job in the saddle as well as in the barn. She is my right hand with these professional athletes. Her education as a rider is always expanding. This past month she had the luxury of working for a week with Paula Turner. Whose incredible experience is limitless. Ms. Turner has started and trained some of the greatest equine athletes of our time. Their accomplishments are proof of her abilities. (Paula also breaks and starts the training process of every horse running in the HPC Burgundy and Green silks) Tracy Doepker helps keep things running smoothly at the home farm. Her job entails everything from cleaning stalls to helping at the track with the racehorses, wrap legs, deal with babies, move hay..you name it Tracy's got it not only covered, BUT DONE! Tawny and Tracy are valuable assets to our program.

 

As for me, I’m the ring leader I guess. Looking after both farms, all of the horses (here and in training elsewhere), injuries, rehabilitation, nutritional needs for each and ever horse in my charge. Arrange matings for our mares and those of my HPC clients. Handle shipping both with our rig and outside commercial shippers, vets, blacksmiths….oh the list goes on. As the demand from our horses has grown and so have our abilities. Between all three of us the job gets done!

 

In the last few years our involvement in the breeding shed has grown as well. In 2004 we bred one mare, 2005, two mares, in 2006 three mares, in 2007 five mares....and the beat goes on. For 2008 we are expecting three foals. All three are from hot New York Sires with great promise. Millionaire, Ten Most Wanted was a gutsy, grind it out to the wire racehorse with a ton of class. The mare we chose to breed to him, Chantre’ had that same attitude on the track. We wait enthusiastically for this foal to arrive. In 2007 Chantre' (Wavering Monarch) gave us a rough delivery but an awesome grey Wheelaway colt. The fine staff at Fort Christopher's Thoroughbreds in New York were on their A game as usual. RC as I call him (affectionately named for ex boxer Rubin "Hurricane" Carter, since he had a knack to jump up and boxing at me!), With his sires class and determination matched his dams quick turn of foot and power we feel this foal has a very bright future ahead of him. 2008 we expect ever better things from Chantre' as her Read The Footnotes foal should be a track scorcher! In 2007 we added a little turf to our barn with Darling Robyn (Robyn Dancer). Robyn is also bred to Read The Footnotes and what will be her first foal. Her pedigree is loaded with blacktype from a solid producing female family.

 

Our year has had it's share of highs and lows. Home bred (& Ohio Bred) three year old Min's Amazingrace( Ministry) had her first career start under our silks, with Maryland trainer Elizabeth "Lizzie" Merryman. Training out of the Fair Hill Training Center in Elkton, Maryland, Grace showed she has the class to go up against tough company. Coming out of the 1 hole, showing GRACE under pressure, our baby didn't back down one bit when the 2 and 3 horses both smashed her against the rail and then proceeded to lean and bang on her all the way into the turn and into the stretch. Though Grace just missed hitting the board in taking a 4th, she showed class! That race resulted in a shin injury, sidelining her training for a few weeks. She ran three more times and ironically suffered from injuries. Her last start was going a mile and a 1/16th. Like all of her races, Grace broke on top and lead the field into the turn and started to pull away when her hind-end slipped on the wet turf course at Laurel Park. While recovering her stride she hit the tendons on the back of her front legs, resulting in what could have been very serious injuries had it not been for the quick thinking of our Jockey Louis Garcia. Easing her the rest of the race was not such an easy task. Grace understands her job and loves to work. Out of race training since September, Grace is now back under the gun to return to the track. She has recently been released to resume full race training, 120 days ahead of schedule!

 

Four Nine Whiskey (Freud) was purchased by family member Joel Pierce. Helping Joel secure his first racehorse was one of the highlights of our season. "Whissie" as we call her around the barn is 100% professional. A seasoned veteran in New York, Whissie had 17 starts and a few injuries. After rehabilitation and monitored exercise, her first start was very rewarding for her first time owner. Sent to Ohio based trainer Joe Shuman, Whissie was ready for her first start back in pretty quick order. Hitting the board third and missing second by half a stride, Four Nine Whiskey is now waiting to ship in at Turfway Park. We look for more fun times with this classy filly.

 

Min's Turn To Deal (Ministry)- two year old full sister to Min's Amazingrace (aka Dottie) is home from the Paula Turner Training Stables and ready to start more serious race training. This filly is a tank! Great body and mass. Very powerful. Like her sister Grace, she can go all day long at a trot or gallop and barely break a sweat! As winter sets in here in Northeast Ohio we will start to hone her skills before she ships off to the track.

 

Bold Tenacity- the yearling boy wonder! This coming two year old, New York bred, Freud colt is nothing short of mind blowing! As a foal he would accelerate at an alarming rate and run right for the pasture fence. We would watch in complete horror waiting for the impact! But nothing, no bang, no crash. He would bank like a jet fighter, cutting  a turn and never slow down! Currently in training with Paula Turner, she commented about him. During her recent visit, "he reminds me of Dust Commander, a compact powerful package with just incredible speed." BT is a 1/2 brother to Grace and Dottie.

 

As I sit back and reflect on 2007 we have made great strides on building better equine athletes. The addition of the ZAMAR Hot/Cold Compression Therapy unit has given us outstanding results! Our horses will never be without it's benefits. EVER! The use of this therapy device has not only accelerated our overall injury recovery time but has cut down on the time needed to treat each horse daily. Instead of an hour in ice, we now use 15-20 minuets of ZAMAR treatment....and what's nice? NO ICE! Just plug in and go! We have also added therapeutic ultrasound for treatment of soft tissue as well as skeletal.

 

Our business is growing, which means we must be doing something right. I find my bloodstock customer base is also growing. This past year I have been contacted by more new players in this game then I ever in the past. This is the type of growth our business needs. New players bring with them new goals and dreams.

 

When Bill Pierce (whom without his support none of this would be possible) and I started breeding my stallion Ministry to our one mare many years back, we never thought we would travel on the roads we have traveled. We have traveled to California together and got to meet a new HPC client, sat in box seats at Santa Anita among the rich and famous, have seen some of the most impressive stallions and farms along the way. Met some wonderful people, each with a fabled history in this sport. April 2007 took us to visited our filly at Fair Hill, an amazing place with amazing horses run by amazing people. Watched with great enthusiasm as a family member became a PLAYER!  It’s been some ride.

 

This game we call the Thoroughbred business is full of ups and downs. In 2007 we lost my stallion Ministry back in the spring. At 26 years old he had lived a gazillion lives...Sales topper, racehorse, sire, Three Day Eventer and crotchety old man. The last one he became nationally known for!  Our mare, Your Turn To Deal has been leased to top Three Day Eventer, Leigh Smith. Leigh is a woman on a mission. Rebuilding her young talented stock one foal at a time. She is looking forward to returning to the top of the game in Three Day Eventing. Having competed at the Rolex, the Pan Am Equestrian Games and long listed for the United States Olympic Team, we are honored to have one of our mares excepted to possibly help produce her next equine star.

 

You know what they say…for every action there’s and equal and opposite reaction. THANK GOD!

 
In closing I hope your 2008 is better then your 2007. I know we have big plans. And though many times those plans don’t work out as expected, we all have hope! Have a great holiday and wonderful New Year!

 
See you at the Races,

 

Christine Sandor-Owner
Horsepower Company